Would-be shooter flipped coin to pick school, police say

The decision about where to shoot and kill was based on the flip of a coin.

Authorities said a Washington state teen had been writing about his plans for a mass shooting, and said in his journal that he was deciding between two separate schools, according to probable cause documents.

The court records state that his own school, ACES Alternative High in Everett, Washington, “won” the toss.

“I’m preparing myself for the school shooting. I can’t wait,” he wrote in his journal, according to the court records. He added: “I can’t wait to walk into that class and blow all those f— away.”

Joshua Alexander O’Connor, 18, was arrested Tuesday after police said his grandmother found his journal and dialed 911 to report “credible threats” by her grandson to shoot students at the high school.

During a search at the house, authorities said that investigators seized a rifle that had been hidden in a guitar case, as well as military-style inert grenades.

O’Connor is being held on charges of attempted murder in the first degree, robbery and assault on an officer.

The journal mentions the coin flip between Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, Washington, and nearby ACES Alternative High School, according to the court records.

Officers alerted administrators at ACES Alternative High School on Tuesday and had O’Connor pulled from class, according to the court records.

At the police station, O’Connor “managed to pull his hand from one of his cuffs” and “spun away” from an officer, running through a parking lot, according to the court records. When the officer caught up to him, the court records state, he “spun around on the ground and ‘mule kicked’ “the officer.

O’Connor’s robbery charge stems from an incident Monday in which police were called about two suspects who were robbing a convenience store.